Hey everyone!
so, I know i know the specifics have been awnsered a million times. But im looking for an experience type awnser so if I have a true inseam of 765.6 would a bike with a stand over of 727 be too tall? Should I size down?

For context 29 inch wheels and i am 5'6 im kinda new to it and been riding an old vintage rigid found a bike for a good price within budget but not sure if thats "too tall" or would i like that little extra height for ground clearance or should I get something with a bit smaller frame?

Also idk if this helps but I live in north rural NJ lots of rocky hills with alot of roots, gets pretty gnarly! I love it.

Test ride the bike, that will be your best guide but you have 1.5 inches of clearance which should be OK enough for most people. However the test ride will tell you a lot of information that the internet won't be able to tell you.

Essentially a larger bike will feel a bit more stable and planted and a smaller bike will feel more agile and playful and you have to figure out for yourself what you want but as long as your crotch isn't touching the top tube you should generally be OK.

I'm 5' 4" tall and have an inseam of 710mm. My small frame / 26" tire Giant Sedona has a stand over height the same as my inseam and its OK. I would not buy a bike with a standover height less then my inseam. So you will probably be fine with that bike. But try it out anyway first if you can.

In fact my next bike will be one of those low entry / girls bike. At 69 I tried my cousins comfort bike and love it. It's 27.5" x 2" tires are good for pretty much any terrain.

veganbikes is right on about a bigger bike feeling more stable. When I switched bikes from my 26" comfort bike to Bills 27.5" low entry, it was a more relaxed ride, Which for a comfort bike might be a good thing. Switching back to my bike was a real surprise. After riding his bike for a while, My bike felt so twitchy it took several minutes to get used to it again, especially at low speeds, but when I did, its just fine too.

This is the answer. Stand over height means nothing in a technical sense. It is an obvious limitation of all frame sizes and designs. Some bikes are designed for low stand over, others prioritize other areas. Stand over means little when you are actually riding the bike and has more to do with when you are standing over it. Get what you are comfortable with.

You will not have standover clearance on most 28ers. They measure it at the seatpost, but the reality is you will end up further forward when actually putting a foot down.

Don't buy based on standover clearance, buy based on cockpit length. Good news is, you are going to he a small or 15 to 16 inch frame from most companies, not likely to be in-between sizes. There will be a learning curve to figuring out what cockpit length truly works for you, we all go through it.

Starting with older bikes and whatever geometry was in vogue at the time also is tricky with 29ers. You are the size that could almost use a dirt jumper as a all around trail bike. I would recomend you try...

My wife is 5'5' and rides a Felt 29" M comfortably, but this probably is a small M (if that's not an oxymoron). It had been a friend's race bike and from the first time she rode it, she was transformed into a better rider. The advice above is what I'd consider. The cockpit is the most relevant measurement IMO.

Stand over is important because getting racked would be painful. 1.5 inches like Vegan Bikes said.